F

Flavorwire

Dan Harmon

Television

Where Can ‘Community’ Season 5 Possibly Go Now That Jeff’s Graduated?

By Jason Bailey on

Last Friday, after a rather successful (for this year, anyway) fourth season finale, we asked the simple question: should Community get picked up for another, Dan Harmon-less season, or is it time to let the characters — and actors — graduate to bigger and better things? It was a question answered far more quickly than expected; by Friday afternoon, there were rumblings that a fifth season was “all but a done deal,” and that deal got done over the weekend. It’s not all ducky for the Greendale crew; as with the just-completed season, year five will only run 13 episodes (initially, anyway), and there’s no set start date. The show is on neither NBC’s fall nor mid-season schedule, meaning the network is saving it to drop in when one of their new comedies tanks, which at least one certainly will. (Let’s be honest: it’ll be more than one.) So the ratings were good enough, and the show is good enough. But it’s time to ask the more pressing question: where does the show go from here, narratively speaking? … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 11 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community ‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Basic Human Anatomy,” is a riff on the old “body-switching” formula, with Troy and Abed swapping souls at a particularly opportune moment. … Read More

Television

Flavorwire Interview: Jim Rash on ‘Community’s’ Season 4 “Learning Curve”

By Jason Bailey on

When Dan Harmon was dismissed as showrunner of his NBC sitcom Community at the conclusion of its third season, much of the show’s writing staff followed suit, leaving the abbreviated fourth season with several new writers. However, one of those novice scripters was hardly an unfamiliar presence: Jim Rash, who has played the morally and sexually ambiguous Dean Pelton throughout the show’s run, pens this week’s episode, “Basic Human Anatomy.” It’s not a case of an actor with an itch to try something new; Rash is an Oscar-winning screenwriter (he shared the Best Adapted Screenplay statue for The Descendants with his writing partner Nat Faxon and director Alexander Payne) and, now, filmmaker (he and Faxon’s directorial debut, The Way, Way Back sold for big bucks at Sundance). But this was his first time writing for the show that made him a familiar face. … Read More

Film

Bad Movie Night: ’80s Rock and Killer Ninjas Meet in ‘Miami Connection’

By Jason Bailey on

Bad movies are not a simple matter. There are nearly as many categories of terrible movies are there are of great ones: there are films that are so bad they’re good (Anaconda), so bad they’re depressing (Transformers), unintentionally funny (The Room), and unintentionally, painfully unfunny (White Chicks). Somewhere at the intersection of So Bad They’re Good and Unintentionally Funny on our little Venn Diagram are the bad movies ideal for group viewing — films that can only be braved in numbers, and whose ham-fisted dramatics and tin-eared dialogue become fodder for years of random quotes and inside jokes. And in this spirit, Flavorwire brings you a new feature, monthly recommendations for Bad Movie Night. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 6 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking,” examines the enigma of “Changnesia,” and puts a new spin on one of the show’s favorite stylistic tropes. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 5 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations,” finds the gang dealing with family discomfort, holiday-style. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 4 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Alternative History of the German Invasion,” finds the gang locked in a fierce battle for control of their study room, and facing some uncomfortable truths about themselves. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Conventions of Time and Space,” finds the Greendale 7 attending a geeked-out celebration of Inspector Spacetime, with varyingly successful results. … Read More

Television

The Best of ‘Dan Harmon with a Microphone’ at CommuniCon

By Jennifer Lewis on

You’re not tired of our never-ending Community obsession, are you? No? Good — because our infatuation with Dan Harmon has reached a new high. Last night, we found ourselves glued to our laptops for the CommuniCon livestream, which featured a writers panel, an actors (with non-major roles) panel, a surprise Gillian Jacobs and Yvette Nicole Brown, and a “Dan Harmon with a Microphone” segment. The latter was particularly fascinating because — as we’re sure you all know — our beloved Harmon was replaced as showrunner last spring and had no say in the show’s fourth season, which premiered last Thursday. Although the entire Q&A was inspiring and hilarious, we’ve thrown together a selection of noteworthy quotes after the jump. … Read More

Television

Everything We Know About ‘Community’ Season 4

By Alison Herman on

After months of delays, cancellation scares, and false starts, the fourth season of NBC’s cult hit Community finally premieres this Thursday. The relentlessly meta comedy helped to alleviate fans’ fears following some high-profile staff changes and pushed already sky-high expectations even further when it released a Hunger Games-style trailer earlier this week. While the clip was clearly aimed at pleasing hardcore fans — Dean Pelton as Effie Trinket was a welcome return to cross-dressing form — it didn’t give much away in terms of what we can expect from the season ahead. So, in the spirit of Annie’s over-preparedness and Abed’s encyclopedic pop culture knowledge, we’ve compiled everything we know so far (including some minor spoilers) about what’s next for the Greendale gang. … Read More